Away From Me
by ceog4ever1
Summary: He thinks she's dead. She's changed her identity. When Draco is assigned to watch Izabela by Lord Voldemort, he knows nothing of her. She's completely changed, and she's hoping to keep him safe that way. Sequel to "Bad Thoughts". Not a songfic.
1. Prologue, Seconds Till Midnight

**A/N: The final installment of **_**Bad Thoughts**_**, and the first installment of **_**Away From Me**_**. I want to thank all of my faithful readers and reviewers, including the new one(s) to come. I know most of you have already read this, but it is just a reminder of where we left off last time. Well, here it goes!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Nothing at all.**

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**Prologue: Seconds Till Midnight**

Scarlet Thorton stared down at the black liquid in her cup. The muggle café annoyed her, with its peppy music and lovey dovey atmosphere, but the coffee helped a bit. She inhaled the aroma, her green eyes closing. They were the only things unchanged about her physical appearance. Her hair was now a violent shade of red and cropped into a halo of spikes around her face, half of which was distorted in swirling scars. In its entirety, her Master turned her skin dark, giving it a more Spanish tinge. The last six months of recovery were a bit faded. His face, Voldemort's face, was the only one she was allowed to see. The voice change was her own doing; it was now deeper, more velvety, with an Italian accent. Her Master gave her the name, one of his random muggle victim's names from decades ago. She owed everything to him, including her previous life as Izabela Monzenquo.

She sighed and stared at the retro clock on the wall. It was seconds till midnight, yet all around her muggles worked on muggle contraptions as she sipped her scorching drink. Life went on by itself around her. This place had been her recent salvation. No one here cared about her scars, and that was a relief. She felt the last of the drink slide out of the cup, and she placed it on its porcelain saucer, listening to the clink it made. She dropped a few crumpled bills next to it and slid on her thick leather coat, stepping into the rush of London's streets.

As Scarlet turned left into an abandoned alley, she saw the swish of a cloak in the wind out of the corner of her eye. As quickly as she saw it and turned, it was gone. She furrowed her eyebrows, but continued down the alley to her small apartment. Her hand, in her pocket, gripped the handle of her wand tightly. The rubber of her shoes thumped hollowly on the concrete steps leading to her front door. As she turned the key in the lock, she heard the sound of footprints behind her. She spun around and pulled out her wand.

"Who's there?" she said, her voice hitting the air sharply. After a few moments of tense silence, she saw the hovering head of a young man. His face was instantly familiar, although it seemed to have aged greatly in the six months they had been apart. Her eyes widened as she recognized him. Below his blue eyes were dark circles, and his face itself was paler, more sunken in. His almost-white hair was ruffled, messy. Draco Malfoy stared into the face of his target with confidence as he slid off the rest of his newly acquired invisibility cloak, his long fingers shaking in the cold.

"So you are a witch," he said, his voice hoarse. "An…an interesting observation." Scarlet remained frozen to the top step, her wand aimed deadly for his forehead. Although he didn't realize it yet, the two forbidden lovers were reunited. She coughed as if the air had been knocked out of her and fell to her knees, then onto her back, the black of faintness covering her.

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**A/N: Don't worry reading citizens! She's not dead, she just fainted…if you didn't get that part. So, now it's sequel time! Remember, enjoy and review,**

**Ceog4ever1**


	2. Listen To The Rain

**A/N: Okay! Chapter one!! I was originally going to wait to start the sequel until I wrote at least two more HP fanfics, but I couldn't wait that long. So, here I am, back again. And, just for future reference, all of the chapter titles will be based on Evanescence songs, as is the story itself, so I own none of the names. "Seconds Till Midnight," however, is not an Evanescence song. It is an Annette song. **

**Disclaimer: I own none of the glory, nor am I the second richest woman in the world…That would be J.K. Rowling and all of her HP honor.**

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**Listen To The Rain**

Scarlet awoke to the cold rush of water pouring on her face. She coughed as some of it entered her esophagus, and she sat up. Standing above her, Draco's eyes went cold, almost as cold as the water. Involuntarily, she shuddered, and he laughed a silent, harsh laugh. He looked her over once before kneeling down.

"Get up," he said, no sense of humor escaping his voice. She blinked in confusion until he grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her up. He grabbed the key that was still in the lock and turned it rapidly, pushing her into the now-small apartment. He flicked on a light, staring around the Muggle dwelling in disgust. He shook his head and locked the door behind him. Scarlet continued to stare at him, even as she stood there looking like a soaked cat.

"Wh-why are you huh-here?" she asked, her words faltering in the cold. Draco didn't answer. Instead, he lit up the fire place without a word, but with a swish of his wand. He pointed from her to a chair, and she forced herself to move over to it. He turned his back to her momentarily, twirling a wand, not his wand, but a wand in his fingers. She realized it was hers.

"Give me back m-my wand!" she yelled at him, still slightly stuttering. He returned his gaze to her, still amazed at the piece of wood. Finally his crystal eyes found there way back to her.

"If I give this back to you, all you'll do is jinx me. Maybe I should just snap it instead." He held the wand menacingly over his knee. When she continued to stare wide-eyed at him, he smirked and removed it from the vicinity. "But first, I have a few questions about its origin," he said. She did not respond immediately.

"And they would be…?" He smirked at her attempt to be clever.

"Where did you purchase this wand?" he began.

"A wand shop in Little Surrey."

"You stole this from no one?"

"Not a soul." He nodded.

"How long have you had it?" Scarlet hesitated a moment.

"Seven years, since I was ten."

"Where did you go to school?"

"I didn't. My…my father taught me all I know…before he was killed," she said, mumbling the last part. He looked at her suddenly, his eyes searching hers. For that split second, they softened, as if his soul recognized her even though his eyes couldn't. Finally he looked away and tossed her the wand.

"You say your father died. Tell me more about that." Scarlet practiced this answer many times, just not in the scenario that she would ever see the only man she ever loved again.

"He…he was…killed by people on the streets. He worked in an investment company, and so he made plenty of enemies. He happened to make…a few…several too many. They shot him as he walked out of the door of his office building," she finished, looking into the flaming fire. Above her, to her own surprise, she heard the rain falling against the roof of the apartment building. It must have been hard, because she was on the bottom floor of thirteen. He turned to her, smiling sardonically.

"Hear that? Listen to the rain. It cries for your loss even when you don't." His words were ruthless, emotionless. He cared not for her loss, he wanted to torture her. Scarlet turned her head back to him.

"What do you want with me anyhow?"

"My…let's say my Lord wanted me to watch you, to make sure you were not a threat. I'm not entirely sure you're even a witch." His eyes flicked to the wand that lay undisturbed next to her feet. "You haven't retrieved your wand yet."

"I don't feel the need. You are no more dangerous to me than a snake that I could kill with one swish of the wand if I wanted to."

"Snakes can be venomous. And, if you can kill me that easily, why don't you?"

"You are not a threat to me." Her voice held the certainty of the world. Draco's eyes glazed over as she said this.

"You don't know that, you don't know me. What I've seen…what I've done…" He turned away from her, placing his long-fingered hands on the back of a plush arm chair by the fire. The flames danced a melancholy dance on his back.

"You've lost a love, haven't you?" she whispered. He turned around once more.

"How could you know that? Are you a seer or something?" he said, questioning her credibility. She simply shook her head.

"I may not know you, but I know the feeling that escaped your voice when you said so. I've experienced it."

"You couldn't possibly know what I feel," he contradicted.

"To think, to know, that you'll never see their face again, hear their voice, feel their touch, because they're gone, forever gone. That feeling is universal for those who have felt it, the universal pain." She sighed. His eyes held hers in scrutiny. He finally softened once more.

"She was killed by my ex-girlfriend. I'm not even entirely sure why." He chuckled darkly. "Possible jealousy, I suppose."

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said. Her voice held the right amount of sincerity to pass through, especially since he was talking about her.

"And I for yours." He paused as if to say something else, but thought better of it, and turned away from her to pace the room. She followed his procession for a few minutes before rising. He stopped, but resumed when she walked past him. She entered her kitchen which was adjacent to the room in which she had just been, separated only by a bar.

Scarlet flicked on one of the burners on the oven, and filled a teapot with water to place over the flames. She placed the metal pot on the burner, waiting for the water to scream at her. She settled her palms down on the tile counter top to watch him more. He stood still to look at her once more.

"Where did you get those scars from?" he asked. Her eyes flickered with an unknown emotion.

"I don't like to talk about it." He smirked.

"That bad, huh?"

"Not really. Just…too depressing to think about." She didn't dare say he was the main reason she had the scars. "Of course, since my name is Scarlet, it fits doesn't it?" He snickered before he walked towards her, sitting on a stool on the other side of the thin bar. He situated his wand to his left on the table, and she stared at it for a moment, and then returned her attention to his searching eyes. He was staring at the swirling of her scars.

"You know, even though they cover half of your face, they are oddly majestic. They almost look as though they were manipulated to form like that." He smiled a crooked smile. She smiled back.

"Maybe they were, and you just don't know it. Maybe I wanted my scars to purposely look like a piece of Italian art." He nodded serenely before leaning forward slightly. His hands gingerly touched the side of her face, fingering the ridges of her marred face. She flinched at his cool touch, remembering how different it was, so long ago. She turned away abruptly, and the steam from the boiling water began to spill out in a scream. She busied herself with putting the tea bags in the water. Unfortunately, she burned her finger on the handle and had to drop it before she could put them in. Draco grabbed her hand.

"Careful. Let me see it," he said as he held her finger in his hands. Their eyes locked together as they both looked up from her finger. She slid her hand from his and slipped the tea bags in the pot, then went over to her spice cabinet, pulling a few unlabeled jars from her shelf. She went to work making an ointment of the crushed herbs. She slowly spooned the thick, greenish solution onto the burn. The pain immediately stopped. She wrapped it in a spare piece of plain cloth to heal over night. When she turned back to Draco, he was smiling.

"You're a medicine woman." She shrugged, avoiding his eyes.

"My mother taught me a few things when I was younger." This wasn't a lie. Since her mother died when she was four, she had continued to practice with herbs and such.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"Killed. By He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, when I was four. I'm not sure how my father or I escaped." She looked up to see his eyes searching for an unseen answer on her face once more. He nodded. She wondered when he became so thoughtful and un-selfish. Perhaps a close death did that to him. Or maybe working under Voldemort's orders shocked him into politeness. Either way he had changed drastically.

"You're all alone in the world, aren't you?" It was Scarlet's turn to nod. She poured the tea into two cups, sliding one to Draco. "Thank you," he mumbled as she walked to the couch next to the arm chair. Her back was to Draco, but she didn't worry. She sipped the tea and put her legs up on the couch so she could have a better view of Draco. When she turned to look at him, he wasn't there. She narrowed her eyes at the empty stool. To her left, Draco spoke.

"Looking for something in particular?" he mused. She turned in shock, and he laughed. He placed his cup on the coffee table behind him and picked up her legs. He positioned himself on the couch next to her, and replaced her legs on his lap. She stared at him in incredulity. She was frozen in shock as he leaned his tall figure over to reach his tea. However, he did not drink from the cup. Instead, he studied her slow movements as she lifted her own cup to her lips, her eyes never leaving his face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked after a while.

"First, you follow me for God only knows how long, threatening to break my wand and warning me that I didn't know what you were capable of. Then you confide in me the secrets of your depression, trusting me enough to drink something I served you. For all you know, that tea is poisoned with a foreign herb that no one but I have heard of. Then you try to help me when I burn my finger, then sit under my legs. If you aren't a man of multiple faces, then what are you? Confused? Insane?" He smirked.

"You poisoned my tea with a foreign herb that only you have heard of? I suppose it is a good thing I haven't taken a sip of the liquid in my cup." He let the cup clink on the wood of the coffee table before speaking again. "Firstly, I've followed you for about four weeks, slowly if not surely. You don't know what I'm capable of. I did not confide in you my deepest depression, I simply mentioned someone I had lost. I helped you with the burn on instinct, and I'm sitting under your legs because you have not moved them yet. Lastly, I am not confused or insane because there is one major condition in our conversation you have not learned about me yet, the one piece of information that I refuse to give out to you, and that you have already partially shared with me." She looked at him in surprise.

"And what would that be, dare I ask?"

"Our names."

"Oh," she said, beginning to feel like a fool. "Well, then…I guess…" She swung her legs onto the floor, sitting up straight. She placed her cup next to Draco's, making a mental note to remember which was hers and which was his.

"You guess you were wrong about my motives, right?" She nodded, dumbfounded. He chuckled. "And what if you weren't wrong at all?" She shrugged, still stuck on his speech before. The words he said clicked in her mind and she turned to face him in shock. His eyes held as much amusement as they could muster, though it did not cover the shadows in and around them. He stood and retrieved his wand, walking to the door.

"You-you're leaving?" she asked. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to stay. She was afraid that she would give something about her true life away. He nodded, his hand on the door knob.

"Until tomorrow, Scarlet. I'll be watching." He chuckled as he walked out into the rain, closing the door silently behind himself. Scarlet just shook her head in amazement, then took the cups to her sink, his still full, and left them there for the night. She sighed in exasperation as she realized she was still wet from his idea of waking her up. She turned to go change and dry her hair for a long night of careful, but useless, watching out her windows.

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**A/N: Chapter one done!! I'm going to try and manage two HP fanfics at once, so if you're interested in reading another one, check out _17 Signs You Like Someone,_****a Draco/Hermione romance. Until later!!**

**Ceog4ever1**

**P.S. Review, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please…okay I'm done….**


	3. Even In Death

**A/N: Hello, (hopefully) friendly readers! I know, I know, you all want to throttle me because it took so long for me to update. I just want to say that I'm terribly sorry. It took me a while to fully calculate the layout of Scarlet's apartment, along with other minor details…in other words, I was suffering from writer's block…again. Every idea I had never seemed to work out. But, this one did! So, for your information, I have included the entire song **_**Even in Death**_** in this chapter, because it seems to fit Draco and Scarlet's relationship…so, please enjoy and please review.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except maybe Scarlet. Besides her, I truly own nothing Harry Potter related….**

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**Even In Death**

Scarlet awoke with her hair plastered to her face. She groaned as she rolled onto her back on the stiff couch. She forced her eyes open and made her hands work to escape the itchy cotton blanket and ply away her flat hair. She let loose a puff of air.

Her green eyes searched the white ceiling above her for answers. Why was Voldemort having someone keep tabs on her when he could just as easily apparate in front of her? She figured it was a formality, a more convenient way of bringing her back into the realm of Death eaters. Then, why assign the only person to ever truly love her to watch her? She closed her eyes and pressed her index fingers into her eyelids until the white fireworks she had gotten used to appeared. Was it busy work for him, or a punishment for her for loving a co-worker and failing to finish her job like she was supposed to? She dug deep into her soul until it began to burn; she then released the pressure and re-opened her eyes.

As she did so, a stray wind washed over her, chilling her bare arms. She looked to her right and realized that the solitary window in the living room was open, the curtains fluttering like the wings of an omniscient bird. Scarlet slid out of the comforting warmth and reluctantly paced to the open window. She peered out, half-dejected to find that the only thing she faced was a high cement wall across the narrow alley. This she looked down into, finding nothing of amazing interest. Pulling herself back into the room, Scarlet slid the window shut. She tugged the flapping curtains together once more.

She turned around and leaned on the window sill for support. That window as well as everything she looked at, reminded her of her current stalker. It reminded her of their first night together, when he had shown her his secret room, when she had first seen the expanse of blue-black mystic water that lay in front of the now-cursed school. Instinctively, she turned to face her couch once more.

She was only half-surprised to find the subject of her thoughts sprawled casually across her make shift bed, his hands behind his head as he watched her.

"Breaking and entering now, I see," Scarlet said, raising her eyebrows as she spoke.

"Do you truly have a problem with that?" Draco asked, smirking.

"Yes," she replied, too hastily. Draco pounced like a cheetah on its prey in the African brush, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, and sauntered over to her.

"Oh, do you really?" He leaned down, attempting to intimidate her. As he stared into her eyes, his own scrunched together in thought.

"What?" she snapped.

"So…familiar," he mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"You…" He caught himself and backed away, looking her over quickly while trying to regain his thoughts. "Nice outfit," he said instead. Scarlet looked down at her usual sleeping wardrobe of boxers and a tank top. Her head shot back up as a flow of lava blood erupted in her cheeks. She reached for a white robe hanging on the coat hanger near her.

"You pig," she said, tying a tight knot across her waist. Draco's gaze lingered there longer than she liked. "Must you be such a pervert?" He looked up at her.

"Why did you tie it?" he asked, ignoring her previous question.

"So you would cease to gawk."

"That's not what I meant," he said harshly. "You tied it manually. You're a witch. Why didn't you use magic to do it?" Scarlet thought about his logic.

"Oh," she said, shrugging. "I guess a force of habit. I try to use as little magic as possible." When he began to look more and more confused, she continued. "I live in a Muggle town full of Muggle people. I would prefer to avoid getting exposed to the whole world." Draco nodded. He looked her over once more.

"Get changed. I'll be waiting in here," he said, motioning to the couch behind him. He turned and slouched down again. She shook her head, but proceeded to enter her bedroom that she couldn't bring herself to sleep in last night.

Ten minutes later, paired with handfuls of gel and less exposing clothes, Scarlet re-entered the living room. She sighed to alert the pacing Draco of her presence. He was in normal Muggle clothes, even if they were a little too nice for her part of the neighborhood. She hadn't noticed them before when he had been staring at her; she was more focused on becoming comfortable. He turned to face her, his eyes returning to his odd cruelty. She slumped to the side, leaning primarily on her right hip, and crossed her arms.

"Why are you here?" she asked, more annoyed than anything.

"I'm here to watch you," he replied, making it seem more obvious than was necessary.

"I hate to disappoint your narrow mind, but I can't stay locked up in here all day. I have a job that I have to get to, you know." He sneered.

"I'm well aware of that, hence these plain clothes." His hand swept across the front of his chest. She stifled a snort.

"If you're coming with me, you're going to want much simpler clothes. I'm not letting you come if you don't help me with my work." His eyebrows furrowed together as he cocked his head to the side in perplexity.

"What's wrong with these clothes? Aren't they simple enough?" This time Scarlet couldn't hold back her chortle.

"Do you really want to ruin them with blood?" she asked. His eyes widened in horror at the possibility of ruining his perfect clothes.

"Where do you work?"

"At the meat market. It involves a lot of messy, gushy, bloody meat pounding." She grinned widely, condescension filling her eyes.

"Then I refuse to help you."

"Then you stay here. It's either that or help me."

"And stain my perfect, pureblood hands with such…filth?" He stared at his hands longingly.

"Come on, pretty boy," she said humorously, grabbing the same leather jacket from the previous night and a small, tattered wallet from the table near the coat hanger. She then exited the front door, exposed to the early chill. Above her the sky was grey and solemn. It helped to know that she would not feel sad on a day like it. She pulled her arms through the sleeves of the jacket, beginning her trek to the meat market. Behind her, she could hear his footsteps on the concrete. She watched as innocent pedestrians began to stare at him. A smile tugged at the edges of her mouth.

Finally, Draco caught up with her and continued an easy pace walking beside her. He spoke to her in hushed tones.

"Why are they all staring at me?" he whispered, looking around himself suspiciously, snarling at a young boy exiting an ice cream shop. He gasped and ran to his mother.

"I do wish you wouldn't do that," Scarlet said emotionlessly.

"Do what?" he asked. She looked at him momentarily.

"Scare random bystanders. I do have to associate myself with you, you know." His eyebrows shot up in understanding.

"But he was staring at me, which brings me back to my question. Why was he, along with everyone else here, staring at me?" She smiled in spite of herself.

"Look at your clothes, then look at theirs. You're basically in the slums of London. No one here can afford the clothing you're wearing, so instead they stare. You don't fit in." She continued to stare straight ahead as she answered him.

"You're…serious?" She nodded. They walked in silence for several minutes while he thought the theory over. "Then why do you live here?" he asked. Her expression flashed to grim momentarily.

"I may be a witch," she began, whispering the last word. "But that doesn't mean that I'm rich. I have to work for what I can get, and the best I can get is this." She opened her arms to gesture around herself. After a few seconds, she stuffed her hands in the worn pockets of the coat. Draco studied the scenery fleetingly.

"Then move in with me," he said, facing her. She glanced up at him in surprise, her eyebrows raised. She looked forward once more. Before she could answer, she pulled on his arm and jerked him in front of her. Moments later, a man sped past them on a bike recklessly.

"Do watch where you're going. I can't always save you," she said, hoping to change the subject. She continued to shuffle her way to work.

"Why won't you answer my questions?" he asked.

"I have no answer."

"Then it's a yes?" She stared at him a beat too long in shock.

"It's a no. I can't just pack up and leave. I've built a life here. And besides, you don't even know me that well. How long have we been acquainted? Not even a full day." He was silent once more.

"Yes, but it would be a much more convenient way to watch you. And why not? You wouldn't have to work." He stared at her expectantly. She glanced in front of him, watching as he neared an extraordinarily high fire hydrant.

"Move to your left," she said, watching as he did so. "Do you really think I could fit in with your world of silky shirts and expensive pants? It's like you truly living a day in my life. Just give it up, Draco." She stopped abruptly, shocked at her slip. He was poised to speak until he thought about what she had said. Then he stopped as well. She blinked several times and commenced her walking once more, humming to herself. He followed her.

"How do you know my name?" he asked, suddenly harsh again. She didn't answer. Instead, she continued to hum. He was about to repeat his question, until he listened to the melodic pattern of the song.

"Sing that," he said. She looked up at him in confusion. "The song you were humming. Sing the lyrics." Scarlet smiled and began.

"'_Give me a reason to believe that you're gone  
I see your shadows so I know they're all wrong  
Moonlight on the soft, brown earth  
It leads me to where you lay  
They took you away from me  
But now I'm taking you home  
I will stay forever here with you  
My love  
The softly spoken words you gave me  
Even in death our love goes on  
Some say I'm crazy for my love, hmm mm, my love  
But no bonds can hold me from your side, hmm, my love  
They don't know you can't leave me  
They don't hear you singing to me  
I will stay forever here with you  
My love  
The softly spoken words you gave me  
Even in death our love goes on  
Though I can't love you anymore than I do, ah ah ah  
I will stay forever here with you  
My love  
The softly spoken words you gave me  
Even in death our love goes on  
Though I can't love you anymore than I do  
People die, but real love is forever_.'"

She finished slowly, whispering the last verse, then hushing down to a hum as she realized Draco wasn't the only one listening. Draco thought about the lyrics, completely forgetting about her slip. They made no sense to him, so he spoke, interrupting her mid-hum.

"What song is that?" She looked at him curiously, glad he wasn't mentioning her knowledge of his name.

"You were actually listening?" He nodded.

"It was _Even in Death_ by Evanescence. They're a Muggle American band." He stared intently at her as she faced forward again.

"Then, what's the meaning behind the song itself? It's…odd." She laughed quietly.

"It's a song about how love can conquer all, even death." She looked up at him, judging his reaction. Did he understand that the song was about them? Was he at all suspicious? He returned his attention to her after staring out at the distance. He looked down on her.

"Now, how do you know my name?" Scarlet remained silent, trying to figure a way out of her predicament.

"I…you…all Malfoys have the same hair and cocky attitude. You're all notorious for that. Plus, I heard about your father's time in Azkaban." She prided herself in her good excuse. She smiled up at him triumphantly before abruptly turning right into an already-propped-open door. He followed her silently, trying to speak to her. Before he could, however, he was over-whelmed by a pungent stench.

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**A/N: Did you like it? Does the song make any sense? Please leave all comments in the form of a review….and now, please welcome back, my past editor, potterlover93, now called regan11. Lots of reader love!! –Ceog4ever1**

**Editor's Note: I am really liking how the whole thing is coming along. I can't wait to find out what happens next. Maybe chapters will come faster since it is summer? I guess we will just have to wait and find out. Leave reviews for my amazing friend Ceog4ever1! Doooo iiittttt! Haha. –regan11**

**Follow-Up A/N: I want to thank ShadowMoonDancer for their constructive criticism, and I took their advice and followed regular lyrical format on the song. I also made a few changes to the chapter, so I hope it reads a little better now. Thank you again!**


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